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A review by lisavdheijden
Midnight Beauties by Megan Shepherd
3.0
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Sadly, Midnight Beauties was a disappointment for me. I loved the first book in this duology, Grim Lovelies, and I was excited for its sequel. Sadly, everything I loved from the first book was not present in this one.
Like the first instalment, the plot of Midnight Beauties also centres are a quest. This time Anouk and her friends need to save the world from dark magic. My main issue with the plot that it is trying to do too much, which resulted in a lack of development of main plot points and plot twists that come out of nowhere. The framework is interesting, such as the magical school where regular girls are turned into witches, and there was a lot of potential there. But sadly, due to the lack of development it fell flat.
I LOVED the characters, especially the protagonist, in the Grim Lovelies. In this instalment, the characters lacked the charm and the chemistry they had in the first book. While the found family aspect was still present in the story, the characters felt disconnected due to miscommunication and differences in ambitions. The main protagonist was almost unrecognisable in the way she felt superior, made all the decision by herself, and did not communicate with her friends. Continuing, I dislike the romance due to the events in the first book and overall, the romance comes across as childish. And lastly, the characterisation of the most interesting character in the book suddenly changes completely in the last part of the book, making his decisions completely unbelievable.
The world building was the most interesting part of the book. It was escalated well from the first book and was original. The consequences of the free dark magic were almost surrealistic, and the descriptions of the scene reminded me of a Dali painting. Lastly, I also enjoyed the political and social layers that were included in the world.
In conclusion, Midnight Beauties was a disappointing read for me. It had a lot of potential with interesting ideas. However, due to a lack of development and focus the story fell flat for me.
Rating breakdown: plot (1.8/5), characters (2/5), writing (2.8/5), worldbuilding (3.5/5), overall enjoyment (3/5)
Trigger warnings: Violence, self-harm, murder
Tropes: Found family, friends-to-lovers, quest to save the world.
Sadly, Midnight Beauties was a disappointment for me. I loved the first book in this duology, Grim Lovelies, and I was excited for its sequel. Sadly, everything I loved from the first book was not present in this one.
Like the first instalment, the plot of Midnight Beauties also centres are a quest. This time Anouk and her friends need to save the world from dark magic. My main issue with the plot that it is trying to do too much, which resulted in a lack of development of main plot points and plot twists that come out of nowhere. The framework is interesting, such as the magical school where regular girls are turned into witches, and there was a lot of potential there. But sadly, due to the lack of development it fell flat.
I LOVED the characters, especially the protagonist, in the Grim Lovelies. In this instalment, the characters lacked the charm and the chemistry they had in the first book. While the found family aspect was still present in the story, the characters felt disconnected due to miscommunication and differences in ambitions. The main protagonist was almost unrecognisable in the way she felt superior, made all the decision by herself, and did not communicate with her friends. Continuing, I dislike the romance due to the events in the first book and overall, the romance comes across as childish. And lastly, the characterisation of the most interesting character in the book suddenly changes completely in the last part of the book, making his decisions completely unbelievable.
The world building was the most interesting part of the book. It was escalated well from the first book and was original. The consequences of the free dark magic were almost surrealistic, and the descriptions of the scene reminded me of a Dali painting. Lastly, I also enjoyed the political and social layers that were included in the world.
In conclusion, Midnight Beauties was a disappointing read for me. It had a lot of potential with interesting ideas. However, due to a lack of development and focus the story fell flat for me.
Rating breakdown: plot (1.8/5), characters (2/5), writing (2.8/5), worldbuilding (3.5/5), overall enjoyment (3/5)
Trigger warnings: Violence, self-harm, murder
Tropes: Found family, friends-to-lovers, quest to save the world.